Vegan Pesto Lasagna with Tofu Ricotta

This vegan pesto lasagna is a dairy-free, tofu ricotta and zucchini packed comfort food recipe that’s healthy and easy to make!

Vegan pesto lasagna is a great alternative to regular tomato based lasagna. It’s a perfect dinner recipe for vegans, vegetarians, and meat eaters alike! This pesto lasagna uses fresh, seasonal ingredients. Unlike the conventional lasagna, it’s relatively inexpensive to make because there’s no dairy or meat.

Don’t get me wrong. I love classic lasagna with tomato sauce and cheese. But summertime calls for a lighter lasagna that focuses on fresh, seasonal ingredients.

Bonus: if you’re making this in the summer you can find half of the ingredients in your backyard garden (not that I have one of those…).

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I’ll be honest: I tried making this lasagna with no-boil noodles and I was not impressed.

It definitely works best with regular pasta noodles that you boil yourself, because this lasagna isn’t as liquidy as a traditional tomato-based lasagna. If you only have no-boil lasagna noodles on hand, don’t fear! Just make sure the top layer of noodles is well covered in pesto or a bit of veggie broth.

How do you make vegan pesto?

Pesto traditionally contains basil, pine nuts, olive oil, and parmesan. It’s easy to customize basil pesto to your dietary preferences by omitting parmesan or replacing it with a vegan version.

You can use my creamy avocado pesto recipe, which uses cashews in place of pine nuts and adds nutritional yeast for a cheesey flavor.

You can also use store bought pesto or your own homemade recipe.

An easy go to vegan pesto recipe I use is: 2 cups basil, 2 cups spinach, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, 3 cloves garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt. Blend in a food processor and use right away.

How do you make tofu ricotta?

Tofu ricotta requires just a few common ingredients and takes minutes to make.

Combine extra firm tofu, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and seasonings in the food processor and mix until smooth and creamy.

You can also use your hands to crumble up the tofu by hand. Because I hate doing more dishes and I like crumbly tofu, as opposed to a classic ricotta paste, I usually go with the hand method.

Recipe steps

Start by sauting slice sliced zucchini and tomatoes over medium heat for 6-8 minutes, or until zucchini is translucent and softened and the tomatoes release their juices. The zucchini will only soften a little more when it’s baked in the lasagna.

1. Layer the bottom of an 8×11 glass baking dish with 1/4 cup of the pesto.
2. Cover this with 3 cooked lasagna noodles
3. Add 1/4 cup pesto.
4. Add half of the tofu ricotta.
5. Add the zucchini in side-by-side layers. Sprinkle with tomatoes.
6. Repeat one more time. Then add 3 more lasagna noodles and remaining pesto.

Bake covered with foil with 30 minutes. Top with additional cherry tomatoes, basil, and cashew parmesan. Enjoy!